If you’re like me and have been within the video game and nerd music scene for any given amount of time, chances are you’ve been to a few shows featuring cover and tribute bands playing music live for a captivated audience. With Super MAGFest having just wrapped up not quite two weeks ago, and things like Rockage San Jose and VGM Con in the near future, I feel now is a great time to ruminate on all the performances I’ve been to and what stands out for me as some of the best I’ve ever been to, and hopefully exchange my experiences with other fans as well.

Two experiences pop into my mind. This past MAGFest featured Transformers and Rocky IV composer Vince DiCola joining VGM band LONELYROLLINGSTARS on stage for a live performance of some of the most iconic themes of his career. (Can be seen in the title image.) I’ll keep my synopsis brief as the whole show was beyond amazing, even beyond my bias (Full disclosure, I was artist liaison for LRS working MAG this year.) and the fact it was not technically game music, the moment when “Death of Optimus Prime” was played by DiCola and LRS and the scene displayed on the big screen, my heart felt like it was punched in it’s heart-gut. It made for a ridiculously memorable experience and one of the best shows I’ve ever been to for the music and the experience both.

The other show I can safely safe was probably the best in my lifetime of going to VGM shows was my first MAGFest, which was MAG 10 in 2012. This was the event that managed to get Final Fantasy composer legend Nobou Uematsu and his band the Earthbound Papas to come pay at the event. I have to say that it wasn’t the music that was the best part of that show, but the sheer excitement Uematsu displayed in stage while playing. When a legend in the game music industry cracks open a Sam Adams on stage, trolls the audience with a Colossus Roar, and moves onto the next song, it makes for a wild moment for fans.

So I ask the readers, what are your most memorable experiences attending game music shows, concerts and performances in your lifetime? Was it the music, the energy or just your general thrill that made it special? Let us know in the comments and let’s keep such memories alive as we keep making more in the future.

Baltimore’s native game music festival Bit Gen Gamer Fest is returning for it’s 12th iteration this year on July 28th – 30th at the Ottobar.

Bit Gen Gamer Fest, Baltimore’s massive homegrown day-long video game music festival returns for its 12th year to explode your mind with a monstrous lineup of 16 musical acts from all across the country, collected under one roof for a full day of video game music MAYHEM! Enjoy a diverse selection of bands ranging from metal, chiptune, hip-hop, rock, and more while punishing baddies and setting the high score on a curated selection of home console and arcade games.

Launching the event with a solid lineup, the current performers scheduled to play are:

Started in 2005 in Baltimore as a small celebration of game music created by John DeCampos and Chris Baines of former VGM band Entertainment System, Bit Gen grew into a yearly local event. In 2013, it was acquired by MAGFest and became a subsidiary event of the brand, though it still remained under it’s own label.

You can check out more information about Bit Gen XII and purchase advance tickets on the event’s Facebook page.

Just as we did for last month’s PAX South, we’re giving you the rundown of what you can expect to see from a game music and audio standpoint at PAX East 2017 next week in Boston. Some new and some returning musical performances shall be gracing the main stage concerts, as well as other tidbits you can check out through the event.

MAGFest, the annual gathering for people who love video games, music, and video game music, took place at its usual spot in National Harbor earlier this year. Though the festival’s musical offerings tend toward electronic fare, there are some musicians keeping the tradition of acoustic music alive.

Among these musicians is the Videri String Quartet. The Boston-based ensemble took center stage twice over the MAGFest weekend to perform tasteful arrangements of music from games like Chrono Trigger, Donkey Kong, and Journey. After their shows were over, I sat down to chat with three integral members of the group: Roselie Samter (Viola), Lizzie Jones (Violin), and David Peacock (Arranger). Lounging on the beds of their hotel room, exhausted but still reveling in the thrill of the festival, the three begin to tell me the story of their group: their mission, history, and where they’re headed next.

It’s been just over a week since MAGFest 2017 and a great deal of decompressing was required to be able to properly sum up this year’s experience. I was fortunate enough to see more performances than I normally would (thanks to a willingness to be dragged around), and therefore think I have a pretty good account of just how well this year’s prime Music and Gaming Festival went.

From the main stage to the underground to the secret shows, this year’s MAGFest was a solid lineup and featured a bit of everything to tickle your fancy.

MAGFest 2017 is only two days away and we’re furiously prepping ourselves for the event festivities. For those also attending, full announcements and a guidebook for the event are now available. Beyond the music artist lineup we announced earlier, you can check out the list of guests, MCs and a whole lot more gaming music-related information. Highlights include:

The full guidebook for the event can be found here or on the main MAGFest website. Currently the Gaylord has a few extra rooms opened up, so if you are thinking of pulling a last minute attendance, you should jump on that now. Additional information can be found streaming regularly leading up to and during the event on the MAGFest Twitter and Facebook pages.

See you at the show! (Unless you sadly must miss it, in which case you can find the show streaming on Twitch!)

Upcoming MAGFest 2017 Final Fantasy tribute band Knight of the Round is getting a leg up on their impending performing with the release of their new EP “SIN”.

Already having 3 full length albums under their belts, Final Fantasy metal titans Knight of the Round just released their new EP, “SIN”, containing 4 re-imagined tracks from Final Fantasy X. After “forming” the project in 2008, the band broke into the VGM scene in 2013 and features former members of See You Next Tuesday and Iscariot. Catch Knight of the Round live on their winter tour dates with Machinae Supremacy, Urizen, and Danimal Cannon as part of the “MAGFest: Expansion Pack Tour”

Following up the start of their tour at MAGFest 2017, you can catch the band on the following dates:

1/5-1/8 – Washington, D.C. – MAGFest

1/9 – Brooklyn, N.Y. – Saint Vitus

1/10 – Pittsburgh, PA. – Cattivo

1/11 – Warren, MI. – The Ritz

1/12 – Crest Hill, IL. – Bada Brew (with Psychostick)

1/13 – Valparaiso, IN. – Big Shots (with Psychostick)

1/14 – Dayton, OH – Rockstar Pro Arena

You can pick up the four-track EP “SIN” on the KotR Bandcamp for $5, and be sure to check them out at MAGFest performing on Saturday, January 7th.

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